Should I boat at Key West, FL today?
Live GO / CAUTION / NO-GO boating conditions for Key West, FL on Florida Keys, from NOAA wind, waves, gusts, an hour-by-hour risk timeline, marine warnings and live webcams.
Conditions right now
CAUTION as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind NE 18 kt, gusts 21 kt; waves about 4 ft. Boatable with care: expect chop or building wind. Small boats should think twice.
From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.
About Key West, FL
- Water: Florida Keys
- Location: 24.555, -81.800
- NWS marine forecast zone: GMZ044
- Live observations: NDBC KYWF1, NDBC SANF1
How the wind direction plays here
- Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
- Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): N, NNE, NE, NW, NNW
- Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): ENE, E, ESE, WSW, W, WNW
Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.
Nearby launches on Florida Keys
- Marathon, FL (46 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 4 ft
- Islamorada, FL (78 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 4 ft
- Key Largo, FL (93 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 16 kt, gusts 19 kt; waves about 4 ft
All launches · Boating the coast guide · How to read a marine forecast · What GO / CAUTION / NO-GO means